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piperclover's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A good time. I flew through the first half and had a great time with it but the second half felt too shallow. Jack decided that he was staying in Ben's house and not buying his dream house and Ben decided that they were staying in their parents house and nobody really got what they wanted and yet everybody was apparently happy with it?? It made it feel really rushed and shallow because we never actually got them thinking these things through or discussing how they felt about these decisions and instead they just happened and we move on very quickly.
I really like how Ben and Milo interact because it feels very much like a brother relationship. Like that Ben is really insecure in his ability to be a parent. He doesn't need Jack but he wants him in their lives. I'm also a fan of Jack's stability and how he wants to support Ben and Milo instead of coming and taking over.
I really like how Ben and Milo interact because it feels very much like a brother relationship. Like that Ben is really insecure in his ability to be a parent. He doesn't need Jack but he wants him in their lives. I'm also a fan of Jack's stability and how he wants to support Ben and Milo instead of coming and taking over.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
maggiefan's review
4.0
4.5
It's such a sweet love story, I can't. I still liked the first book more than this one, just because Taboo For You is literally everything I love about romance novels.
But still. Jack and Ben, having a storyline I'm not usually a fan of, owned my heart. This couple is so strong!! I smiled the whole time reading about them.
It's such a sweet love story, I can't. I still liked the first book more than this one, just because Taboo For You is literally everything I love about romance novels.
But still. Jack and Ben, having a storyline I'm not usually a fan of, owned my heart. This couple is so strong!! I smiled the whole time reading about them.
babytloves2read's review
Okay...SO fucking cute!!! This was lowkey slow burn??? Like, it was inevitable. Ben was not subtle at all, from the very beginning. Jack was not subtle about being head over heels for Ben, but not wanting to compromise his job. So, you were kinda just like....when are y’all gonna fuck? When are y’all gonna hold hands? When are y’all gonna confess your love and commit yourselves to each other and raise a family of your own??? And then BAM it happens and all is well.
lolasreviews's review
4.0
I received a free copy from the author through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
I have to admit I wasn't sure at first that I wanted to read this one, but when I was reading Taboo for You I got curious about Jack's story and then decided to give it a try. And I am so glad I did as I really enjoyed this sweet MM romance book. I enjoyed it even more than Taboo For You. It's a slow burn romance and I loved seeing the characters grow closer together as the story progressed and it's just full of these sweet and touching moments. And it was a joy to read about these characters.
Made For You is told from dual point of views of both Jack and Ben. Jack is a woodworker teacher and he meets Ben one day when Ben shows up for teacher parent evening at the school where his younger brother goes to school After that chance encounter things are set in motion. Ben's house needs renovations and he hasn't had the heart to go back there after his parents died and Jack is a house flipper and he ends up renovating Ben's house. Due to this situation they start spending more time together and growing closer. Then there is Milo, Ben's younger brother who is a big part of the story too. And who doesn't want Ben to sell their house, he wants to stay there.
So what made me hesitant about this book at first was the whole age gap thing, I wasn't sure if I would like that. In the end I can say it didn't bother me at all in this book. It is brought up a few times, but I never felt like Jack was way more mature or didn't fit with Ben. Ben had to grow up fast when his parents died and he had to take care of his younger brother and Jack can be very carefree at times too. To be honest most of the time I didn't think of their age and it wasn't brought up that much in either text or behavior that I was conscious of it. Also they just fit so well together that the age gap just wasn't an issue at all. These two just belonged together.
I really liked the romance in this book. The way Ben and Jack meet and they way they interact, their banter and the way they are there for one another. They are so perfect together and I liked how this book was low on the physical intimacy and focused much more on the build-up and slow burn of their romance. It's full of sweet scenes and I enjoyed seeing these two grow closer and closer. It's about getting to know each other and being there for the other. There is an instant attraction, but they don't act on it at first with the whole Jack being Milo's teacher thing. So instead they have this whole growing closer, but not that close thing. Till quite late at the book when it progresses to more and there is a little bit of heat at the end.
Jack and Ben were both great characters to read about. I liked how Ben was trying so hard to be a good parental figure for Milo, but he also is his brother and that really shows too. They are so similar at times and interact in a different way that shows their brotherly bond. It felt realistic how Ben was struggling with the burden, but he always kept trying and he felt like he was failing and when Jack tells him that he is doing great and he finally gets those words of encouragement, that moment was awesome. He also slowly starts making time for himself and what he wants. I also liked how he could be shy and overwhelmed at times and it felt very realistically done. I also really liked seeing him interact with Milo and it's obvious how much he cares about his younger brother and how much he would do for him. Their brotherly bond really was well done.
Then there is Jack who has a career he liked and he's getting closer to getting his dream house, but he's a bit lonely. He wants a family and he has so much love and care to give. I liked seeing how he slowly became part of Milo and en's family and how the three interacted together. Jack was great with Milo too, but mostly I liked how he supported Ben and how that helped them both being better parental figures for Milo.
Made For You is the sequel to Taboo For You, but can easily be read as standalone as this book follows a different couple. There are only a few scenes with the previous couple in it.
I also wanted to mention the setting. Just like Taboo for You this book is set in new Zealand and I liked how I got a bit of a feel for the country in this book. There still isn't a lot about it, but the setting came more alive here than in the first book. Mostly due to all the mentions of birds that I never heard about. The bird watching was a fun addition too.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book. It's such a sweet slow burn MM romance book with a bit of heat at the end. I really liked the two main characters and they were so good together. I liked seeing their relationship progress throughout the book as they grew closer and closer. It was great to see much much they came to care about the other and how they were there for one another. I liked Ben's younger brother Milo, who plays a big role in the story as well. I was afraid the age gap romance wouldn't work for me, but once I started reading it turned into a non issue, their ages just seemed irrelevant as they were so good together. While it's a second book in this series, it can easily work as standalone as it follows a different couple with only a few scenes involving the previous couple. I also liked how we got to see a bit of new Zealand and learn about the native birds there. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy slow burn MM romances.
I have to admit I wasn't sure at first that I wanted to read this one, but when I was reading Taboo for You I got curious about Jack's story and then decided to give it a try. And I am so glad I did as I really enjoyed this sweet MM romance book. I enjoyed it even more than Taboo For You. It's a slow burn romance and I loved seeing the characters grow closer together as the story progressed and it's just full of these sweet and touching moments. And it was a joy to read about these characters.
Made For You is told from dual point of views of both Jack and Ben. Jack is a woodworker teacher and he meets Ben one day when Ben shows up for teacher parent evening at the school where his younger brother goes to school After that chance encounter things are set in motion. Ben's house needs renovations and he hasn't had the heart to go back there after his parents died and Jack is a house flipper and he ends up renovating Ben's house. Due to this situation they start spending more time together and growing closer. Then there is Milo, Ben's younger brother who is a big part of the story too. And who doesn't want Ben to sell their house, he wants to stay there.
So what made me hesitant about this book at first was the whole age gap thing, I wasn't sure if I would like that. In the end I can say it didn't bother me at all in this book. It is brought up a few times, but I never felt like Jack was way more mature or didn't fit with Ben. Ben had to grow up fast when his parents died and he had to take care of his younger brother and Jack can be very carefree at times too. To be honest most of the time I didn't think of their age and it wasn't brought up that much in either text or behavior that I was conscious of it. Also they just fit so well together that the age gap just wasn't an issue at all. These two just belonged together.
I really liked the romance in this book. The way Ben and Jack meet and they way they interact, their banter and the way they are there for one another. They are so perfect together and I liked how this book was low on the physical intimacy and focused much more on the build-up and slow burn of their romance. It's full of sweet scenes and I enjoyed seeing these two grow closer and closer. It's about getting to know each other and being there for the other. There is an instant attraction, but they don't act on it at first with the whole Jack being Milo's teacher thing. So instead they have this whole growing closer, but not that close thing. Till quite late at the book when it progresses to more and there is a little bit of heat at the end.
Jack and Ben were both great characters to read about. I liked how Ben was trying so hard to be a good parental figure for Milo, but he also is his brother and that really shows too. They are so similar at times and interact in a different way that shows their brotherly bond. It felt realistic how Ben was struggling with the burden, but he always kept trying and he felt like he was failing and when Jack tells him that he is doing great and he finally gets those words of encouragement, that moment was awesome. He also slowly starts making time for himself and what he wants. I also liked how he could be shy and overwhelmed at times and it felt very realistically done. I also really liked seeing him interact with Milo and it's obvious how much he cares about his younger brother and how much he would do for him. Their brotherly bond really was well done.
Then there is Jack who has a career he liked and he's getting closer to getting his dream house, but he's a bit lonely. He wants a family and he has so much love and care to give. I liked seeing how he slowly became part of Milo and en's family and how the three interacted together. Jack was great with Milo too, but mostly I liked how he supported Ben and how that helped them both being better parental figures for Milo.
Made For You is the sequel to Taboo For You, but can easily be read as standalone as this book follows a different couple. There are only a few scenes with the previous couple in it.
I also wanted to mention the setting. Just like Taboo for You this book is set in new Zealand and I liked how I got a bit of a feel for the country in this book. There still isn't a lot about it, but the setting came more alive here than in the first book. Mostly due to all the mentions of birds that I never heard about. The bird watching was a fun addition too.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book. It's such a sweet slow burn MM romance book with a bit of heat at the end. I really liked the two main characters and they were so good together. I liked seeing their relationship progress throughout the book as they grew closer and closer. It was great to see much much they came to care about the other and how they were there for one another. I liked Ben's younger brother Milo, who plays a big role in the story as well. I was afraid the age gap romance wouldn't work for me, but once I started reading it turned into a non issue, their ages just seemed irrelevant as they were so good together. While it's a second book in this series, it can easily work as standalone as it follows a different couple with only a few scenes involving the previous couple. I also liked how we got to see a bit of new Zealand and learn about the native birds there. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy slow burn MM romances.
loishojmark's review
5.0
I loved the first book in this series, and I peed a little in my pants, when I heard about the release of book 2.
Anyta Sunday is one of my favorite authors, and luckily I wasn't disappointed. At all. It had an element of taboo, and slow, slow burning desires igniting my e-reader. Rugged woodpeckers, and heartbroken, yet still funny brothers. It was pulling on all my heartstrings - I mean... orphan brothers! Who can stand for that? And after my slowly, smoldering panties and my burning heart, we even got some hot and loving sex.
Yay! I'm happy.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for my unbiased view.
Anyta Sunday is one of my favorite authors, and luckily I wasn't disappointed. At all. It had an element of taboo, and slow, slow burning desires igniting my e-reader. Rugged woodpeckers, and heartbroken, yet still funny brothers. It was pulling on all my heartstrings - I mean... orphan brothers! Who can stand for that? And after my slowly, smoldering panties and my burning heart, we even got some hot and loving sex.
Yay! I'm happy.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for my unbiased view.
brokenrecord's review
3.0
I liked this, but it took awhile to grow on me, and tbh, the romance never developed as fully as I wanted it to. It's slow burn technically in that it takes forever for Jack and Ben to actually hook up, but part of what I love about slow burn is getting real development in a relationship and seeing every little shift in feelings, but here it was more just like… both were attracted to one another but knew they couldn't be together because of Jack being Milo's teacher and it being frowned upon to have a relationship with a student's caregiver, but like… they then spend basically 75% of the book super into each other but not doing anything about it, but otherwise not a LOT changes? They just eventually hit a breaking point. I mean, it's not that there's NO development, there is a little, but not the kind that makes slow burn so appealing to me, so I never really got invested. I did start getting more into it when Jack decided to move forward with things despite their situation. I loved when he overhears Ben calling him his boyfriend, and the entire scene of them at his ex's for Jack's birthday was my favorite stretch of the story. But then I think the end almost felt rushed. I would've liked to see more of them in an actual relationship, I guess. The pacing just felt a bit off, and like I said, I'm all about a slow burn, but I think them getting together earlier on might've helped things. That, or a more gradual transition from meeting to attraction and then feelings. Anyway, I did enjoy this! But it's definitely not up there with my favorite Anyta Sunday romances, even though there were some nice moments.
Spoiler
with them FINALLY kissing for the first time, and then them being like, "Okay, we're obviously dating, but we should hold off on moving forward for real until the school year's over," and that lasting literally 2 seconds before they jump into bed and another 2 seconds before they come out with it at schoolsuey_library's review
4.0
What is one of my all time favorite genres to read? You guess it, M/M Romance. I cannot help it, it is something about the drama, the raw passion and just the overall dynamics I see in these types of romances verses others that just hooked me in man, it is always so good! And to add to that bucket, I am always on the lookout for authors I haven't heard of before because I like to see refreshing variety, hence this gem. I have never read anything by Anyta Sunday and I can already tell she is going to go down in my hall of most sought out; her overall writing style was fun, entertaining and downright swoon worthy. Made For You was the absolute topping to my already great reading month for April and I cannot wait to add more of her to my TBR.
To be fair though, what makes a writers writing style golden? Their characters, especially in romance genre - lets face it, that is the entirety of the novel. I really liked the characters, yes some pet peeves but I will get to that in a smidge. Firstly, I really liked Jack from the moment he was introduced. I like his attitude towards Ben and his younger brother, Milo. Obviously the trope of being Milo's hot teacher with some interestingly amazing humor for his Woodpecker last name definitely upped that ante. But truly, before I even mention the actual chemistry he shared with Ben, it was more so just that father authority figure role he stepped in, he was this protector and I rather enjoyed seeing that side of him in the character dynamic.
Ben of course was a peach. I really liked him, so much so I probably found more things to dislike about his character, it almost aided in how my opinion constantly rotated for him.... For starters, Ben was rather young, and I think that the author really honed in on his naive, almost innocent personality for a reason, but many occasions I was on the fence with really adoring and sympathizing towards him to downright wishing he would grow a pair of balls and man up. But to counter this, Ben really did try, and he tried hard and all the while seemed to have a smile on his face while dealing with it. He was a good guy. Not to mention his hilariously adorable brother Milo did not help his characters outlook on many occasions, both of their characters really played up that fact of how unprepared they were for their situation. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, really worked well for the chemistry that developed with Jack in the mix, but it also hindered Ben's growth in my opinion towards his character.
And speaking of the chemistry, oh my lanta. The minute they meet, you can tell - as a reader it is very easy to pick up on the sexual chemistry. Hell, that is reality, most people find individuals attractive first before developing emotional connection, and this is definitely Ben and Jack. But what I enjoyed most between their romantic dynamic was that they admitted the attraction, put a plug in it and still were able to grow this type of bond that really was a friendship first. Again, I mentioned it earlier, but Jack really stepped into this authority figure role, not like a superficial father figure per say, but a support system that really put a special additive to their chemistry. I think it really highlighted their friendship too once their were jokes and conversation - seriously their banter was honestly just perfection. When I wasn't gushing over the sexual tension, I was chuckling at their back and forth witty bickering. I promise too, once that romance does finally hit that peak, oh yeah, it was good. They were perfect together.
My only other pet peeve was more so the extra drama dynamic. There were some mentions of the age gap, the controversy over being teacher vs parent, plus the added effect of Ben and Milo's situation. I truly liked this drama dynamic, but unfortunately there were times for this drama then there were either moments of lack luster incentive or over the top antics that to me, seemed rather pointless. Not bad by no means, but I think some could have been executed a little differently.
Bottom line, tickle my fancy pickle on this one - I loved it. It was such a great mixture of sweet to swoonage, to witty banter back around to the more caring side of romance. It was just a great feel-good romance. Definitely one I would recommend for sure, I know I will be adding more of Anyta to my ever growing TBR because who needs more M/M Romance? This kid.
***Received an Advanced Readers Copy during a blog tour with ANovelTakePR in exchange for an honest review***
To be fair though, what makes a writers writing style golden? Their characters, especially in romance genre - lets face it, that is the entirety of the novel. I really liked the characters, yes some pet peeves but I will get to that in a smidge. Firstly, I really liked Jack from the moment he was introduced. I like his attitude towards Ben and his younger brother, Milo. Obviously the trope of being Milo's hot teacher with some interestingly amazing humor for his Woodpecker last name definitely upped that ante. But truly, before I even mention the actual chemistry he shared with Ben, it was more so just that father authority figure role he stepped in, he was this protector and I rather enjoyed seeing that side of him in the character dynamic.
Ben of course was a peach. I really liked him, so much so I probably found more things to dislike about his character, it almost aided in how my opinion constantly rotated for him.... For starters, Ben was rather young, and I think that the author really honed in on his naive, almost innocent personality for a reason, but many occasions I was on the fence with really adoring and sympathizing towards him to downright wishing he would grow a pair of balls and man up. But to counter this, Ben really did try, and he tried hard and all the while seemed to have a smile on his face while dealing with it. He was a good guy. Not to mention his hilariously adorable brother Milo did not help his characters outlook on many occasions, both of their characters really played up that fact of how unprepared they were for their situation. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, really worked well for the chemistry that developed with Jack in the mix, but it also hindered Ben's growth in my opinion towards his character.
And speaking of the chemistry, oh my lanta. The minute they meet, you can tell - as a reader it is very easy to pick up on the sexual chemistry. Hell, that is reality, most people find individuals attractive first before developing emotional connection, and this is definitely Ben and Jack. But what I enjoyed most between their romantic dynamic was that they admitted the attraction, put a plug in it and still were able to grow this type of bond that really was a friendship first. Again, I mentioned it earlier, but Jack really stepped into this authority figure role, not like a superficial father figure per say, but a support system that really put a special additive to their chemistry. I think it really highlighted their friendship too once their were jokes and conversation - seriously their banter was honestly just perfection. When I wasn't gushing over the sexual tension, I was chuckling at their back and forth witty bickering. I promise too, once that romance does finally hit that peak, oh yeah, it was good. They were perfect together.
My only other pet peeve was more so the extra drama dynamic. There were some mentions of the age gap, the controversy over being teacher vs parent, plus the added effect of Ben and Milo's situation. I truly liked this drama dynamic, but unfortunately there were times for this drama then there were either moments of lack luster incentive or over the top antics that to me, seemed rather pointless. Not bad by no means, but I think some could have been executed a little differently.
Bottom line, tickle my fancy pickle on this one - I loved it. It was such a great mixture of sweet to swoonage, to witty banter back around to the more caring side of romance. It was just a great feel-good romance. Definitely one I would recommend for sure, I know I will be adding more of Anyta to my ever growing TBR because who needs more M/M Romance? This kid.
***Received an Advanced Readers Copy during a blog tour with ANovelTakePR in exchange for an honest review***
maybreads's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This was such a good read. Devoured 80% of it in one sitting. Just sweet, great characters a joy to read. Then I didn't pick it up for 2 weeks and honestly I stopped at a
sex scene that was just graphic and kind of didn't mesh well with the rest of the book imo. It was hard to get back into the book with only 20 percent to go. Which is why the whole thing doesn't get a higher rating. I think the first 85% were a 4.5 star experience. Maybe if I hadn't put it down and then gotten busy getting back into it would've been easier
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
nasaje's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
What a joy being back in the love & family universe. It is no secret that the first book in the series, [b:Taboo For You|34195165|Taboo For You (Love And Family #1)|Anyta Sunday|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486501332s/34195165.jpg|25255768], is one of my all-time super duper favorites, so getting Jack's story and revisiting Sam and Luke was very nice - I wouldn't have minded seeing a little more of them here than we did, but I think that's just the bias talking.
We get a sweet connection between Jack, Ben (and Milo), and it seemed like they really just clicked as a family. The bird trivia parts were a hoot.
However, I felt that the first half was a bit fragmented, almost like it was a bunch of scenes put together with little to bind them together. It got better in the second half, though. Also, while it is relatively low-angst, there was some slightly unecessary drama like
I only do my reviews in half-stars, but I feel like this is more of like 3.74 stars, which makes me round down even though it has potential to be a 4-star read.
What a joy being back in the love & family universe. It is no secret that the first book in the series, [b:Taboo For You|34195165|Taboo For You (Love And Family #1)|Anyta Sunday|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486501332s/34195165.jpg|25255768], is one of my all-time super duper favorites, so getting Jack's story and revisiting Sam and Luke was very nice - I wouldn't have minded seeing a little more of them here than we did, but I think that's just the bias talking.
We get a sweet connection between Jack, Ben (and Milo), and it seemed like they really just clicked as a family. The bird trivia parts were a hoot.
However, I felt that the first half was a bit fragmented, almost like it was a bunch of scenes put together with little to bind them together. It got better in the second half, though. Also, while it is relatively low-angst, there was some slightly unecessary drama like
Spoiler
the school looking down on Jack for seeing Ben, or at least Jack being afraid of that.I only do my reviews in half-stars, but I feel like this is more of like 3.74 stars, which makes me round down even though it has potential to be a 4-star read.